Younger generations lead surprising revival in Bible reading

After years of regular decline, Americans are rediscovering the Bible — and young adults are leading the best way.

New findings from Barna’s State of the Church 2025 report, produced in partnership with Gloo, reveal a national rebound in weekly Bible reading.

The report finds that 42% of US adults now say they read Scripture weekly — up 12 points from a record low of 30% in 2024.

That figure rises to 50% amongst self-identified Christians, marking the very best level in greater than 10 years.

Millennials and Gen Z adults are at the guts of this turnaround. Barna’s data shows that Millennials have seen a 16-point rise since 2024, with 50% reporting that they read the Bible weekly.

Gen Z follows closely, leaping from 30 to 49% inside a single yr.

By contrast, Boomers — once essentially the most consistent Bible readers — now report the bottom rates, with only 3% reading weekly.

Generation X stays largely unchanged, with a modest rise to 41%.

This shift toward younger engagement suggests a reversal of decades-long trends, where Bible reading was strongest amongst older generations and in decline amongst youth.

CEO of Barna Group, David Kinnamon, said: “2025 is showing a serious rebound of Bible reading, together with a surge in usage amongst younger generations. This aligns with other signs of spiritual interest and reinforces the finding that Christian faith and practice are experiencing a reset moment.”

Barna’s latest findings also reveal an unexpected twist: younger men are actually outpacing women in Bible engagement. In past studies, women consistently reported higher engagement than men in Scripture reading, church involvement, and prayer.

Mr Kinnaman explained: “Women generally have been more religiously energetic than men. But now, younger men emerge as essentially the most frequent Bible readers. Also, there was an even bigger post-pandemic bounce in men’s reading than in women’s usage.”

This trend echoes one other recent Barna study specializing in Gen Z, which revealed that almost 40% of young adult women (ages 18–24) describe themselves as having no religious affiliation or belief in God — the very best rate amongst any demographic.

At 31%, Gen Z women’s weekly Bible reading falls well below the 41% reported amongst Gen Z as an entire.

Another Barna study shows that only 36% of girls report weekly attendance, while 43% of men do the identical.

Researchers link this disengagement to feelings of isolation and inadequate support from older generations – only one-third of Gen Z women imagine their parents understand them, and barely 1 / 4 feel backed by their fathers.

However, Mr Kinnaman noted: “Engagement is outpacing conviction. People are opening the Bible more often, but they’re still wrestling with what they imagine about it. That gap between reading and trusting is price taking note of.”

Only 36% of adults — and 44% of Christians — say they imagine the Bible is totally accurate in its teachings, down from 43% in 2000. Barna researchers describe this shift as a “reset”, not a full-scale revival.

Still, they imagine it could signal the start of a deeper reorientation toward faith — especially amongst younger generations trying to find meaning in an uncertain world.

“We’re not witnessing a sweeping social transformation, but we’re seeing Americans move back toward patterns of religion that had been fading. That in itself is hopeful,” said Mr Kinnaman.

For church leaders, the message is obvious: curiosity is growing, but conviction needs nurturing.

He added: “We should rejoice the rise of Bible readers in our society. Then, we must commit to assist these readers encounter God through the text and integrate what they read into on a regular basis life. That’s where the transformation happens.”